


Summer in the Adirondacks, 1955

by Brumeier



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1950s, Community: picfor1000, Community: trope_bingo, First Meetings, Ice Cream, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 14:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13719723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: Rodney is working at an ice cream stand over the summer to save money for university, and John is one of his regular customers. They have more in common than Rodney first thought.





	Summer in the Adirondacks, 1955

**Author's Note:**

> My picfor1000 entry, inspired by [this photo](https://unsplash.com/photos/4iAXnRQA-cY). Also fills the Food & Cooking square on my Trope Bingo card

John came to Leah's Dairy every day during Rodney's shift, always at the same time, and for the life of him Rodney couldn't figure out why. He knew John was staying up the road at Keller's, and a place that fancy had to have its own ice cream. John was almost always in a group with other rich kids, wearing the same summer uniform: polo shirt, pastel shorts, espadrilles, sunglasses. He only knew John’s name from overhearing it. 

"Butter pecan. Two scoops." Same order every time. 

"You know, you might want to try the cherry cordial," Rodney said. "Don’t you get sick of butter pecan?" 

"Not really." 

So Rodney scooped the ice cream and John slid his quarter across the counter, and that was that. 

One day John was a no-show at his usual time. Rodney tried not to be too obvious as he scanned the crowd of people in line – families renting cabins on the lake, mostly, and people who’d seen the giant electric ice cream cone from the highway – looking for familiar cowlicks. 

He refused to feel disappointed, because that was stupid. It wasn't like he was missing meaningful conversations; all he did for John was scoop ice cream. 

An hour later Rodney took his break, sitting at one of the picnic tables with a Black Cow and his Physics textbook. He was taking a night class over the summer so he’d be even further ahead for the fall semester. 

“Heavy reading.” 

Rodney looked up, blinking the sun out of his eyes. John, his own eyes hidden behind sunglasses, was standing next to the table. Rodney checked for his usual posse of hangers-on but he seemed to be alone. 

“You’re running late today,” Rodney said and then flushed, looking back at the book. Why had he said that? It implied that he kept track of John’s comings and goings, and even if he was, kind of, it wasn’t something he needed to broadcast. 

“Mind if I sit?” 

Rodney shrugged like it didn’t matter. He didn’t know how to hold a conversation with John that wasn’t conducted across a counter or focused on ice cream. And really, what could they possibly have to talk about? John probably spent a lot of time at his parents’ country club, schmoozing with the other rich kids and playing tennis. He probably had color television and a shiny new Mercedes. 

"Where in Canada are you from?" John asked. He sat with his legs stretched out on the seat. 

"Toronto," Rodney replied, surprised. "Most people can't hear the accent." 

"My dad does a lot of business in Canada." John took off his sunglasses and hooked them over the collar of his shirt. He reached across the table for Rodney's textbook, which he turned around and pulled closer. "Physics? That's kind of boring, isn't it?" 

Rodney pulled the book back. "It is _not_ boring, thank you very much! You think there'd be any kind of rocket program without physics? I don't think so." 

"Yeah? You interested in space? We had this German rocket guy over to the house last year. He thinks we can put people up there. On the moon, and maybe even beyond. Space exploration, he said. Using rocket ships." 

John said it as casual as could be, but Rodney nearly choked on his Black Cow. He rubbed the back of his hand over his mouth. 

"German rocket guy? Not Wernher von Braun. Tell me it wasn't Wernher von Braun." 

John nodded. "Yeah, that was it. I gotta say, he made traveling around in space sound pretty cool." 

Rodney felt like his brain might short-circuit. Wernher von Braun was the reason he was attending university in the States. He believed in space travel, too, and getting to work with one of the greatest minds in that field was his dream. A sharp stab of envy made his gut twist. 

"I have this really great telescope," John said. "You should come over some time and check it out." 

"Wait. You're interested in space too?" That was unexpected. 

"Sure. Who wouldn't be? We know so little about it." 

"Exactly!" Rodney leaned forward, elbows on the table. "It's only been four hundred years since Copernicus's work on heliocentrism started changing people's backwards idea that the Earth was the center of everything. What else could we learn, if we could only get up there?" 

He was really warming up to his subject, egged on by John's avid expression, when he realized that John had invited him over. Was it possible that John was interested in getting to know Rodney beyond his work at Leah's Dairy? 

"You want me to come to Keller's?" he asked, immediately switching gears even though he had a lot to say about Tycho Brahe, Kepler, and modern astronomy. 

"Well, I wasn't kidding about the telescope. There's also a really nice pool. Johnny Weissmuller is giving swimming lessons." 

Rodney didn't know who Johnny Weissmuller was, though clearly he was supposed to, but he was more interested in the telescope than swimming anyway. 

"What about your friends?" he asked. "I mean, Keller's is a little out of my league." 

John shrugged. "Those guys are okay, but they're not very interesting. I want more out of life than a corporate job and a trophy wife. And I like to pick my own friends, not have them forced on me." 

"Rodney!" Carla called from the back door. "Break's over!" 

"Be right there!" Rodney shouted back. He finished off his Black Cow and closed his text book. "It's supposed to be a clear night tonight. You know. For stargazing." 

"So you'll come?" John asked, a hopeful look on his face. 

"Will you order something besides butter pecan?" 

"How about a hot fudge sundae?" 

Rodney grinned. "You're on." 

"I'll meet you by the main gate at ten o'clock," John said. "Don't be late." 

"I'll be there," Rodney promised. 

He went back to work, John stood in line, and Rodney fixed him a big hot fudge sundae. With extra fudge.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** All my thanks to taste_is_sweet and nagi_schwarz for their repeated beta work. This fic went through a couple different versions, but this is the one that actually wanted to be written. Writing is hard, y'all! LOL!


End file.
